- Podiatry- this a a growing field that allows more flexibility than I originally thought, most work regular office hours with very little (if any) emergencies. They can go into surgery (orthopedics) or generalize and do a little of everything. They earn on par with many physicians.
- Nursing- this is a HUGE field with jobs available practically everywhere. There are several different types of nurses specializing in many different areas. I once met a nurse practitioner who billed as a specialist (more than her general practice physician bass) for her additional training in women's health. Many go into nursing for the flexible schedules, others like it because increased patient contact, (go to an ER and you'll see what I'm talking about, they are the marine corps of the medical field) I have also been impressed by the growing number of men entering this field. While volunteering at Castle Hospital I met a male nurse who was among the first in the Iron Man 2 years in a row, and you would be crazy to challenge his masculinity. I think the stereotype of the 'murse' is going away because the increase in popularity and need for male nurses.
- Physicians Assistant- PA's do everything a doctor does like perform procedures and sign prescriptions the only difference I can see as of yet is they have to work under a physician (who doesn't necessarily have to be on site) PA's make decent money while not worrying about malpractice a win-win if you ask me.
- Medical Anthropologist- these people help the world at on the macro scale. Many of which have MD or PhD's. They look to environmental and societal causes for disease and treatment. These are the people who work with governments and charity organizations. Read the book "Mountains Beyond Mountains" to see what I'm talking about.
- Physical Therapist- most now have a PhD. This is a hands on job with lots of patient interaction. PT's work a lot with Dr.'s and Athletic Trainers. PT's can specialize in working with amputees, the elderly, athletes, or everyday people. Physical therapy combines aspects of new technologies and exercise and flexibility in order to get the job done.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Other careers in medicine
For those of you out there who are unsure what career path they want to follow may I suggest exploring the following career fields and seeing if they appeal to you.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Get into school fall 2011
Its that time of year to start putting everything in order to have you application in opening day. No matter what kind of candidate you think you are, it will be to your advantage to have your application in as close to the beginning of the cycle as possible. Many schools accept students throughout the entire process its just at the beginning you are competing for far more spots than those who are applying in the fall. For the most part the beginning of June is usually the soonest you can turn in your application materials. You may think that you have plenty of time but the medical school application is long and it takes a lot of time to turn out polished personal statements and essays and no matter how much time you spent studying for the MCAT you will wish you studied more. Here are a few things you might want to consider doing in preparation for your acceptance into medical school.
- Start studying for the MCAT. The Library has some materials for studying but you may consider buying some materials on your own. There are DVD's, work books, study guides, computer programs, and flash cards you may want to consider. If you are broke like me you may find great deals from friends who took the MCAT last year and share costs by finding a study buddy. If you have the money and time you may want to enroll yourself in a Kaplan MCAT course, these classes are expensive but some people need to be motivated to study, and they do offer a full review with practice tests, online materials, access to a tutor and test taking strategies. I have heard mixed reviews about Kaplan so I would suggest learning more before committing the $1500+ down payment. Kaplan is constantly visiting campuses offering free trial classes and tests for those interested.
- Since BYU-Hawaii doesn't have a premedical committee yet it is up to you to work out your own letters of recommendation. I would suggest for your own sake that you register for interfolio or other similar online document service, which will cost somewhere in the $35 range for a years worth of service. By doing this you will comply with all the rules regarding your letters of recommendation while making it easy on your letter writers. Its an easy process which is quick and easy to use. I have used Interfolio and found that my documents are sent in a timely manner, either electronically or through the mail. Each delivery you send (which can contain several letters) will set you back $4-6.
- After you have signed up for your document service start asking for letters of recommendation. It might be a good idea to ask your potential letter writer if they feel comfortable writing you a good letter of recommendation. Even at this small school your letter writer might not feel they know you well enough or perhaps you they don't have enough good things to say about you. If this is the case, tell them thanks for their time but don't pursue a letter any further it is a waste of both of your time. I know there is a misconception out there that letters from prominent people are better but the reality is for a letter to be a good letter they have to know you and be able to say a few nice things about you. One way to assist your letter writer is to share with them some personal information about yourself; your career goals, major accomplishments, etc which will aid them in portraying you in the most favorable light to admissions. (Don't lie, the stories are many and easy to find of applicants blowing their opportunity to gain admission into medical school for fabricating stories to 'strengthen' their application. The medical admissions staff are good at their jobs and know when you aren't being truthful, plus why risk it?)
- In my experience with Interfolio once I had talked with my letter writers I was able to send the official invitation via email through my interfolio account. Along with the invitation the email comes with the instructions on how to submit the document and once your letter writer submits the letter Interfolio sends you an email informing you that your letter is in. To be prepared (since different schools ask for different things) get 3 or 4 from science professors (since we don;t have a premedical committee at our school you will be asked to send extra letters in lieu of a committee letter. You might also need 1 or 2 letters from non science professors, an ecclesiastical leader (if applying to a religious institution like Loma Linda or Creighton), an old boss, a physician you shadowed (DO schools usually require the physician be a DO MD schools don't typically care), and a place you volunteered. This process of asking and reminding and reminding takes a lot longer than you will anticipate so it is good to start asking earlier and be persistent. You will have to walk the thin line between dedication and annoyance to ultimately get the letters you are looking for so start asking early, preferably before finals and vacations when your letter writers can take time to put together a solid letter.
- Buy the MSAR or visit your libraries copy on a regular basis. This book is a list of all the medical schools along with information about each individual school. Study this book religiously and keep a list of schools you feel competitive in applying to. (A hint; state schools to which you are not a resident will be extremely difficult if not impossible to get into, so start in your home state then look into private schools).
- Work on your personal statement. Have lots of people look at it. Get an English professor to do the final once through. A lot of people who would otherwise be very competitive applicants blow off the personal statements and get rejected. This is the one area outside of the interview you can express yourself and where admissions officers can weigh the intangibles. I was told by an admissions officer that a good statement won't necessarily get you into the school on its own but a poorly written one will sure keep you out. If you don't know where to start, begin by looking at personal statements of people who were accepted.
- If your MCAT or GPA are lower than average you may want to consider DO programs which typically look at many other factors in determining admission to their school. Osteopathic medical education typically emphasizes more the primary care aspects of medicine and consequently most DO's pursue primary care residencies but in spite of this you are still free to apply for whichever residency you wish and there are DO's in virtually every area of medicine (even teaching in MD schools). The major differences between Allopathic and Osteopathic medicine are DO's used to be more holistic in their approach while MD's were more symptomatic. These differences have narrowed in time but what remains today is the Osteopathic approach still emphasizes the musculoskeletal relationship with disease and as a result teach Osteopathic Manipulation Technique, which some DO's find useful while others learn it and never use it.
- Foreign Medical Schools are an option for some students. There are thousands of foreign schools but only a handful of reputable institutions. In the Caribbean St. George's,Ross, American University of the Caribbean, and SABA are the biggest names in turning out doctors in the US. These programs usually involve 1.5-2 years of the science curriculum taught in the Caribbean followed by clinical rotations at U.S. or English hospitals. You have to be careful to make sure that upon completion you will be able to practice medicine in your state. Only New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California actually pay to evaluate the schools and the rest of the states tend to fall in line with one of these. States like Idaho, Colorado, and Texas have a reputation for being a little harder for foreign medical school graduates although they do have foreign graduates practicing within their borders. If you are interested in applying to a foreign school make check out whether or not you'll be licensed to practice in the state you intend to live, whether or not you qualify for federal loans, and what the USMLE pass rates are. You will be surprised at the disparity of foreign medical schools. Some are on par with US medical schools in USMLE pass rates, residency placement, and technology. It fascinates me to this day how some of these schools can do it with an 'inferior' student population which is a testament that there must be other factors for predicting future success outside of grades and test scores. Another thing to keep in mind is that foreign schools typically accept students 3 times a year and have no application deadline which makes them a viable back up plan in the case you don't get in and you have no desire to get a masters degree, or enroll in a premedical post bacheloriate program.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
NY Times artical on medical school success
Doctor and Patient
Do You Have the ‘Right Stuff’ to Be a Doctor?
By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.
Published: January 14, 2010
Not long ago, a friend confessed that her son, who spends much of his free time volunteering at a children’s hospital and who is applying to medical school, has been particularly anxious about his future. “His test scores are just O.K.,” my friend said, the despair in her voice nearly palpable. “I know he’d be a great doctor, but who he is doesn’t seem to matter to medical schools as much as how he does on tests.”
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Her comment brought me back to the many anxious conversations I had had with friends when we were applying to medical school. Over and over again, we asked ourselves: Do we really need to be good at multiple-choice exams in order to be a good doctor?
We were referring of course to not just any exam, but to the Big One — the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, the standardized cognitive assessment exam that measures mastery of the premedical curriculum. Back then, as now, American medical school admissions committees required every applicant to sit for the MCAT.
While medical schools have since taken pains to assure applicants that recommendation letters and essays also weigh heavily, many candidates continue to believe, erroneously or not, that the MCAT can make or break one’s chances. Competition to get into medical school remains fierce, with over 42,000 highly qualified individuals vying for just a few more than 18,000 slots at medical schools across the country.
With those kinds of statistics and no reliable standardized way to evaluate personality, it is inevitable that the MCAT will have a crucial role in medical school admissions. But does that guarantee that the applicants admitted are also destined to become the best doctors?
Maybe not.
According to a recent study in The Journal of Applied Psychology, there is another kind of exam that may be more predictive of how successful students will be in medicine: personality testing.
For nearly a decade, three industrial and organizational psychologists from the United States and Europe followed more than 600 medical students in Belgium, where premedical and medical school curriculums are combined into a single seven-year program. As in the United States, the early portion of their education is focused on acquiring basic science knowledge through lectures and classroom work; the latter part is devoted to mastering clinical knowledge and spending time with patients.
At the start of the study, the researchers administered a standardized personality test and assessed each student for five different dimensions of personality — extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. They then followed the students through their schooling, taking note of the students’ grades, performance and attrition rates.
The investigators found that the results of the personality test had a striking correlation with the students’ performance. Neuroticism, or an individual’s likelihood of becoming emotionally upset, was a constant predictor of a student’s poor academic performance and even attrition. Being conscientious, on the other hand, was a particularly important predictor of success throughout medical school. And the importance of openness and agreeableness increased over time, though neither did as significantly as extraversion. Extraverts invariably struggled early on but ended up excelling as their training entailed less time in the classroom and more time with patients.
“The noncognitive, personality domain is an untapped area for medical school admissions,” said Deniz S. Ones, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and one of the authors of the study. “We typically address it in a more haphazard way than we do cognitive ability, relying on recommendations, essays and either structured or unstructured interviews. We need to close the loop on all of this.”
Some schools have tried to use a quantitative rating system to evaluate applicant essays and letters of recommendation, but the results remain inconsistent. “Even with these attempts to make the process more sophisticated, there is no standardization,” Dr. Ones said. “Some references might emphasize conscientiousness, and some interviewers might focus on extraversion. That nonstandardization has costs in terms of making wrong decisions based on personality characteristics.”
By using standardized assessments of personality, a medical school admissions committee can get a better sense of how a candidate stands relative to others. “If I know someone is not just stress-prone, but stress-prone at the 95th percentile rather than the 65th,” Dr. Ones said, “I would have to ask myself if that person could handle the stress of medicine.”
While standardized tests like the MCAT and the SAT have been criticized for putting certain population groups at a disadvantage, the particular personality test used in this study has been shown to work consistently across different cultures and backgrounds. “This test shows virtually none or very tiny differences between different ethnic or minority groups,” Dr. Ones noted. Because of this reliability, the test is a potentially invaluable adjunct to more traditional knowledge-based testing. “It could work as an additional predictive tool in the system,” she said.
One perennial question that personality testing could help to answer is whether hard work can make up for differences in cognitive ability. “Some of our data says yes,” Dr. Ones said. “If someone is at the 15th percentile of the cognitive test but at the 95th percentile of conscientiousness, chances are that the student is going to make it.” That student may even eventually outperform peers who have higher cognitive test scores but who are less conscientious or more neurotic and stress-prone.
But these standardized tests, personality or cognitive, can be useful only after medical schools, and the public they serve, decide what characteristics are most important for the next generation of doctors. “If a medical school is all about graduating great researchers, then I would tell them not to weigh the results of the personality test that heavily,” Dr. Ones said. “But if you want doctors who are practitioners, valued members in terms of serving greater public, then you have to pay close attention to these results.”
She added: “When you ask your friends, they will describe you in terms of your personality. Rarely will you get a description of your cognitive ability. Personality is what makes us who we are.”
Do You Have the ‘Right Stuff’ to Be a Doctor?
By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.
Published: January 14, 2010
Not long ago, a friend confessed that her son, who spends much of his free time volunteering at a children’s hospital and who is applying to medical school, has been particularly anxious about his future. “His test scores are just O.K.,” my friend said, the despair in her voice nearly palpable. “I know he’d be a great doctor, but who he is doesn’t seem to matter to medical schools as much as how he does on tests.”
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Doug Menuez/Getty Images
Well
Share your thoughts on this column at the Well blog.
Go to Well »
Related
More Doctor and Patient Columns
Her comment brought me back to the many anxious conversations I had had with friends when we were applying to medical school. Over and over again, we asked ourselves: Do we really need to be good at multiple-choice exams in order to be a good doctor?
We were referring of course to not just any exam, but to the Big One — the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, the standardized cognitive assessment exam that measures mastery of the premedical curriculum. Back then, as now, American medical school admissions committees required every applicant to sit for the MCAT.
While medical schools have since taken pains to assure applicants that recommendation letters and essays also weigh heavily, many candidates continue to believe, erroneously or not, that the MCAT can make or break one’s chances. Competition to get into medical school remains fierce, with over 42,000 highly qualified individuals vying for just a few more than 18,000 slots at medical schools across the country.
With those kinds of statistics and no reliable standardized way to evaluate personality, it is inevitable that the MCAT will have a crucial role in medical school admissions. But does that guarantee that the applicants admitted are also destined to become the best doctors?
Maybe not.
According to a recent study in The Journal of Applied Psychology, there is another kind of exam that may be more predictive of how successful students will be in medicine: personality testing.
For nearly a decade, three industrial and organizational psychologists from the United States and Europe followed more than 600 medical students in Belgium, where premedical and medical school curriculums are combined into a single seven-year program. As in the United States, the early portion of their education is focused on acquiring basic science knowledge through lectures and classroom work; the latter part is devoted to mastering clinical knowledge and spending time with patients.
At the start of the study, the researchers administered a standardized personality test and assessed each student for five different dimensions of personality — extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. They then followed the students through their schooling, taking note of the students’ grades, performance and attrition rates.
The investigators found that the results of the personality test had a striking correlation with the students’ performance. Neuroticism, or an individual’s likelihood of becoming emotionally upset, was a constant predictor of a student’s poor academic performance and even attrition. Being conscientious, on the other hand, was a particularly important predictor of success throughout medical school. And the importance of openness and agreeableness increased over time, though neither did as significantly as extraversion. Extraverts invariably struggled early on but ended up excelling as their training entailed less time in the classroom and more time with patients.
“The noncognitive, personality domain is an untapped area for medical school admissions,” said Deniz S. Ones, a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and one of the authors of the study. “We typically address it in a more haphazard way than we do cognitive ability, relying on recommendations, essays and either structured or unstructured interviews. We need to close the loop on all of this.”
Some schools have tried to use a quantitative rating system to evaluate applicant essays and letters of recommendation, but the results remain inconsistent. “Even with these attempts to make the process more sophisticated, there is no standardization,” Dr. Ones said. “Some references might emphasize conscientiousness, and some interviewers might focus on extraversion. That nonstandardization has costs in terms of making wrong decisions based on personality characteristics.”
By using standardized assessments of personality, a medical school admissions committee can get a better sense of how a candidate stands relative to others. “If I know someone is not just stress-prone, but stress-prone at the 95th percentile rather than the 65th,” Dr. Ones said, “I would have to ask myself if that person could handle the stress of medicine.”
While standardized tests like the MCAT and the SAT have been criticized for putting certain population groups at a disadvantage, the particular personality test used in this study has been shown to work consistently across different cultures and backgrounds. “This test shows virtually none or very tiny differences between different ethnic or minority groups,” Dr. Ones noted. Because of this reliability, the test is a potentially invaluable adjunct to more traditional knowledge-based testing. “It could work as an additional predictive tool in the system,” she said.
One perennial question that personality testing could help to answer is whether hard work can make up for differences in cognitive ability. “Some of our data says yes,” Dr. Ones said. “If someone is at the 15th percentile of the cognitive test but at the 95th percentile of conscientiousness, chances are that the student is going to make it.” That student may even eventually outperform peers who have higher cognitive test scores but who are less conscientious or more neurotic and stress-prone.
But these standardized tests, personality or cognitive, can be useful only after medical schools, and the public they serve, decide what characteristics are most important for the next generation of doctors. “If a medical school is all about graduating great researchers, then I would tell them not to weigh the results of the personality test that heavily,” Dr. Ones said. “But if you want doctors who are practitioners, valued members in terms of serving greater public, then you have to pay close attention to these results.”
She added: “When you ask your friends, they will describe you in terms of your personality. Rarely will you get a description of your cognitive ability. Personality is what makes us who we are.”
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti Disaster Relief
This post is dedicated to ways in which you can contribute to the relief efforts taking place in wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. There are several organizations which are doing a lot of good and could use your help both on large and small scales. As many of you know Haiti is the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere and the death toll is projected to be in the tens of thousands. Please share these links with your friends and family so that the help can get to where it needs to be. Also if you know of any other ways to help please leave a comment below (no need to sign in or register).
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
If you are interested in learning more about this organization you should pick up the previously recommended book Mountains Beyond Mountains which was inspired by PIH founder Dr. Paul Farmer who falls in love with the Haitian people, so much that during medical school at Harvard he took his books with him to Haiti only returning to Boston to take tests. The Haitian Health Foundation (HHF) relies on the support of individuals like you to provide health and social services to more than 100 impoverished mountain villages in and around Jérémie—increasing the health and well-being of 225,000 needy Haitians
http://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/
PIH has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. We urgently need your support to help those affected by the recent earthquake.
Partners In Health (PIH) works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for our patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.
Based in Boston, PIH employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses and community health workers. The vast majority of PIH staff are local nationals based in the communities we serve.
http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti
Haitian Health Foundation
http://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/
UNICEF
Unicef is a charitable organization which specializes in providing aid to Children.
http://www.unicefusa.org/
http://www.unicefusa.org/
American RED CROSS
One of the biggest relief organization in the world which does a lot of everything.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.redcross.org/
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
What is Your Favorite Medical Related Book?
Lets get some discussion going, I'm looking for some input here because in about a week I want to be reading a new book and bet others are interested in broadening their horizons as well, so share!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Winter Break Book List
As Winter Break draws closer fantasies about sleeping in and watching Christmas specials with the family you've become estranged from over the past 4 months become a consistent day-dream. We are less than 2 weeks away!! stick in there so you do well in your classes. I look forward to the break as its a time to put down that cursed Biochem book and take on some recreational reading, but may I suggest choosing a book that exposes you to an area of medicine you find of particular interest. I have found that as I read certain books my goal of becoming a physician gains greater resolve and that I become more of an insider. The fact is so much of the practice of medicine is a mystery to the pre-medical student, even if they have family members who are currently practicing medicine. Exposure removes much of the mystery but as a pre-med you are likely very limited in the types of exposure you can gain through first hand experience that is why I suggest picking up a good book. It has been said "wise people learn from their own experience, but super-wise people learn from the experiences of others".
This is a brief history of open heart surgery and the personal story of a few of its pioneers. If you interested in cardiology this book is a must.
Mountains beyond mountains is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer who grows up in what many of of us would consider poverty to become a Harvard Medical School graduate who's compassion for the poor and passion to wipe TB off the face of the earth cause Dr. Farmer to start a non-profit medical organization 'Partners in Health' . If you are interested in public health, medical anthropology, or in serving medical missions as part of your practice, you will love this book. When I returned home from my mission and attended the 'mini-medschool' lecture series at University of Washington two of the presenters referred to this book which I later found out was required reading for all incoming freshman the year before.
Dr. Groopman shares his experiences as he is transformed from a medical student to a resident to a physician and ultimately to a medical educator teaching at some most prestigious teaching hospitals and schools in the country. Dr. Groopman provides insight into what goes into the decision process of correctly diagnosing and treating diseases. Groopman confronts many erroneous paradigms concerning modern medicine and offers ways to overcome these barriers when possible. Among other things Groopman discusses how the way information is presented and the order in which information is given leads to whether or not the majority of physicians will arrive at the correct diagnosis and ultimately administer the proper medical treatment. He also discusses how many errors in judgement occur from a lack in communication skills. He discusses practical matters such as the amount of time a doctor listens to the patient before interrupting correlates to successful diagnosis or the amount of distractions from unnecessary details and data cause in delay of proper diagnosis.
If you are interested in medical education, any medical practice, or even just as a patient want to know how to receive quality medical care you should read this book.
If you are considering practicing military medicine or just want the nice scholarship with stipend and signing bonus this book is for you. Dr. Jadick is a DO with a military background before entering the Navy as a physician. This story goes into great detail about what is now the cutting edge in battlefield medicine. Dr. Jadick was instrumental in implementing forward (front lines) mini portable trauma centers which allowed soldiers to receive medical treatment up to an hour faster than medivacs out of the battle. Jadick did this in one of the deadliest battles in the Iraq war, 'Fallujah'.
Atul Gawande's two books are fairly similar as they pertain to sharing with the reader his personal insight as a general surgeon at one of the prestigious hospitals in the world as to the current state of medicine. He explains everything from how Doctors have a history with spreading disease and how something as simple as washing their hands religiously could solve this problem, to the circus that is medical malpractice, to how a medical conference is like Disneyland for Physicians, to the decision making process of physicians, to nasty diseases, and cutting edge surgical procedures. These books are two of my favorite books of all time and if I had a medical school would be required reading before entering.
Another Great book that delves into many different areas of medicine. Dr. Sanders is a great writer who was a non-traditional applicant, she was a journalist who decided later in life to apply to medical school. She attended Yale and hasn't really left because she is part of the Yale faculty now, as well as provides material to the TV show HOUSE. She is a renowned internist who shares some insight into the world of modern medicine.
This is a brief history of open heart surgery and the personal story of a few of its pioneers. If you interested in cardiology this book is a must.
Mountains beyond mountains is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer who grows up in what many of of us would consider poverty to become a Harvard Medical School graduate who's compassion for the poor and passion to wipe TB off the face of the earth cause Dr. Farmer to start a non-profit medical organization 'Partners in Health' . If you are interested in public health, medical anthropology, or in serving medical missions as part of your practice, you will love this book. When I returned home from my mission and attended the 'mini-medschool' lecture series at University of Washington two of the presenters referred to this book which I later found out was required reading for all incoming freshman the year before. 
Dr. Groopman shares his experiences as he is transformed from a medical student to a resident to a physician and ultimately to a medical educator teaching at some most prestigious teaching hospitals and schools in the country. Dr. Groopman provides insight into what goes into the decision process of correctly diagnosing and treating diseases. Groopman confronts many erroneous paradigms concerning modern medicine and offers ways to overcome these barriers when possible. Among other things Groopman discusses how the way information is presented and the order in which information is given leads to whether or not the majority of physicians will arrive at the correct diagnosis and ultimately administer the proper medical treatment. He also discusses how many errors in judgement occur from a lack in communication skills. He discusses practical matters such as the amount of time a doctor listens to the patient before interrupting correlates to successful diagnosis or the amount of distractions from unnecessary details and data cause in delay of proper diagnosis.If you are interested in medical education, any medical practice, or even just as a patient want to know how to receive quality medical care you should read this book.
If you are considering practicing military medicine or just want the nice scholarship with stipend and signing bonus this book is for you. Dr. Jadick is a DO with a military background before entering the Navy as a physician. This story goes into great detail about what is now the cutting edge in battlefield medicine. Dr. Jadick was instrumental in implementing forward (front lines) mini portable trauma centers which allowed soldiers to receive medical treatment up to an hour faster than medivacs out of the battle. Jadick did this in one of the deadliest battles in the Iraq war, 'Fallujah'.
Atul Gawande's two books are fairly similar as they pertain to sharing with the reader his personal insight as a general surgeon at one of the prestigious hospitals in the world as to the current state of medicine. He explains everything from how Doctors have a history with spreading disease and how something as simple as washing their hands religiously could solve this problem, to the circus that is medical malpractice, to how a medical conference is like Disneyland for Physicians, to the decision making process of physicians, to nasty diseases, and cutting edge surgical procedures. These books are two of my favorite books of all time and if I had a medical school would be required reading before entering.
Another Great book that delves into many different areas of medicine. Dr. Sanders is a great writer who was a non-traditional applicant, she was a journalist who decided later in life to apply to medical school. She attended Yale and hasn't really left because she is part of the Yale faculty now, as well as provides material to the TV show HOUSE. She is a renowned internist who shares some insight into the world of modern medicine.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Health Care Boondoggle
The Main Stream Media has been bombarding America with coverage on the current "Health Care CRISIS" the President has made more than a few speeches declaring our need for government intervention concerning this our need to make health care available to all. Town Hall meetings and protests have brought out millions of Americans from across the country with passionate albeit emotional views over the type of action that should be taken, if any should be taken at all.
From my experience I have seen that the vast majority of practicing physicians are hesitant to make their political views made public. Perhaps this accounted for the fact that many doctors like many other Americans would are not interested in politics and would rather focus their limited time to their families, careers, faith, and hobbies. Maybe they feel its unethical to offer their political opinion in their position of power as a professional health care provider. For what ever the reasons doctors have for the most part stayed out of politics, until now.
By associating health care with the world "crisis" doctors who both agree and disagree with the president have been going public with their opinion as this type charged rhetoric brings out a sense of wrong doing and immediacy. The American Medical Association has for example has endorsed the House bill, only to pull the endorsement due to the fact that many in the AMA were outraged with the bill, while others felt that they should wait until the bill was published and they had time to read it.
It is safe to say that over the past few months you have had time to digest a lot of information concerning health care reform and have come to your own conclusions.
Please share those views with all of us. I am interested in knowing where you stand on a subject that won't only drastically affect your future career in medicine but also has the potential to change the way the entire health care process operates in America. Take a Second to leave your comments below.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Trunk or Treat
- Wednesday October 28th in the Aloha Center Ballroom
- Set up at 6:30
- Event goes from 7-9PM
- Clean up immediately following
If interested email me at: brandon.frandsen@gmail.com
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
If the flux capasitor was real I'd go back in time and....
There are a few commonalities in what those applying for grad and preprofessional schools say they wish they would have done differently. Maybe it was their choice in major, many begin college thinking that they had to major in the hard sciences to get into the schools they wanted, when in reality the statics say prove almost the opposite. Schools love diversity and they love excellence so you can major in what ever you want (as long as you still perform well on the prerequisites) as long as you do well.
Another point brought frequently is studying for the mcat early and taking the mcat in the spring. It is one of the biggest tests you'll ever take and cramming the night before will not help you out one iota.
Start filling out the application in the winder and spring. (you don't have to send it out until you're ready) Its not going to get filled out over night or even in a whole week. If you want it to come through perfectly write personal statements and rewrite them, email them to friends and family, get an English professor to look over it, use everyone in your circle of influence to write it.
Sign up to interfolio, it costs about 20 dollars per year but this is a great deal considering how difficult it is to collect letters of recommendation. (a side suggestion, ask your writers if they could honestly write a good letter about you early on and be persistent in reminding them to do it) You can then easily have them write a letter and mail it to interfolio where its archived or they can send it electronically. Get lots of letters, we don't have a premedical committee so you will need at a minimum 3 science professors and one non science professor. Secondaries might ask for people you shadowed or worked for, or served with. So its not a bad idea to get these ahead of time preferably before too much time goes by and your writers forget details about you.
So a quick recap major in something you love, where you genuinely have interest. Plan your schedule so you can succeed. You cannot spend too much time preparing for the mcat so start early. The application can be filled out without paying anything or having to turn in anything so take a look at it, begin filling out the information, at least start figuring out what you need to work on and getting organized. Get good letters of recommendation, use a service like interfolio to store them for when you're ready to send them out.
And lastly be sure that you're going into medicine for the right reasons; money, and prestige, approval of parents for example are not good reasons to go into debt and work insane hours doing something that is hard. admissions officers can see right through you if there is no genuine desire to follow a career in the health care industry and they can spot the delusionals who have this pipe dream of making six figures and having people worship you as an authority figure. There are easier more secure ways which require a lot less sacrifice to make tons of money, and if that's what will make you happy medicine is probably not the right career for you.
If you are reading this and you have any other regrets or suggestions please feel free to post them below in the comments box.
Another point brought frequently is studying for the mcat early and taking the mcat in the spring. It is one of the biggest tests you'll ever take and cramming the night before will not help you out one iota.
Start filling out the application in the winder and spring. (you don't have to send it out until you're ready) Its not going to get filled out over night or even in a whole week. If you want it to come through perfectly write personal statements and rewrite them, email them to friends and family, get an English professor to look over it, use everyone in your circle of influence to write it.
Sign up to interfolio, it costs about 20 dollars per year but this is a great deal considering how difficult it is to collect letters of recommendation. (a side suggestion, ask your writers if they could honestly write a good letter about you early on and be persistent in reminding them to do it) You can then easily have them write a letter and mail it to interfolio where its archived or they can send it electronically. Get lots of letters, we don't have a premedical committee so you will need at a minimum 3 science professors and one non science professor. Secondaries might ask for people you shadowed or worked for, or served with. So its not a bad idea to get these ahead of time preferably before too much time goes by and your writers forget details about you.
So a quick recap major in something you love, where you genuinely have interest. Plan your schedule so you can succeed. You cannot spend too much time preparing for the mcat so start early. The application can be filled out without paying anything or having to turn in anything so take a look at it, begin filling out the information, at least start figuring out what you need to work on and getting organized. Get good letters of recommendation, use a service like interfolio to store them for when you're ready to send them out.
And lastly be sure that you're going into medicine for the right reasons; money, and prestige, approval of parents for example are not good reasons to go into debt and work insane hours doing something that is hard. admissions officers can see right through you if there is no genuine desire to follow a career in the health care industry and they can spot the delusionals who have this pipe dream of making six figures and having people worship you as an authority figure. There are easier more secure ways which require a lot less sacrifice to make tons of money, and if that's what will make you happy medicine is probably not the right career for you.
If you are reading this and you have any other regrets or suggestions please feel free to post them below in the comments box.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Different types of Nurses
I'm sorry I haven't really educated myself into the world of nursing but I have had exposure to different types during my shadowing and volunteering at Castle Hospital. Nurses enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nurses are needed everywhere and with the right credentials can live anywhere. When I had my baby there were several nurses borrowed from other areas of the country meaning Kapi'olani Medical Center paid for nurses from places like Utah and Louisiana to live and work in Hawaii on a short term contract after which they can return home to their same job. At Castle medial center I became friends with a few of the nurses who are extremely happy with their jobs. They can take vacations whenever they can work as much as they want they can make their own schedules in many cases and they enjoy full benefits, no malpractice insurance, and more exposure to patients than most doctors. If you want to speak to an expert in the field of nursing track down Dr. Goodwill who was a prophesor at a nursing school. Think nursing isn't manly enough think again the military's called coremen and medics who go into combat often times go into nursing when they complete their service obligation with little additional training. So if you're interested in nursing I suggest you look into all the different programs out there and find the one that is right for you. Also nursing can be a great backup plan to medical school.
Nurse Midwife
Friday, September 25, 2009
A good thing to do!
For those of you who are planning on applying to medical school (or any graduate school) you should follow the lead of our co-founder and fist president Will Ellis and document every hour you serve. Trust me, you will thank me later because the application process is way longer than you think and you don't want to make it any longer by trying to track down all your hours, through digging through your email inbox, your family calender, etc. So my advice to you is take time each week to log your hours somewhere safe and where you'll be able to find it. Below is just a sample from Will's service hour log to give you an idea of what you should being recording.
Will's Service Hours and Activities
| Date | Service | Start to End | Total Time |
| 8/18/07 | TVA Farm- weed-wacked, organized equipment | 8:30-10:30am | 2 hrs. |
| | Student Orientation- Campus tour | | |
| | Student Orientation- PCC tour | 1 pm- 6 pm | 5 hrs |
| 9/15/08 | Kapaka (Welfare) farm | 6 am- 1 pm | 7 hrs. |
| 11/3/07 | Honors program- USS Missouri yard work | 7:30- 2 pm | 6 ½ hrs. |
| 11/8/08 | Wrote essay for honor’s program newsletter (Hokuloa) | 10 pm- 4 am | 6 hrs. |
| 11/9/08 | Research for Dr. Gold | 3- 3:30 pm | ½ hr |
| 11/16/08 | Phi Kappa Phi meeting- conducted meeting | 6-8 pm | 2 hrs. |
| 11/26/08 | Donated blood | 10-10:30 am | ½ hr. |
| 11/21/08 | Research for Dr. Gold | 4-4:30 pm | ½ hr. |
| 11/27/08 | Research for Dr. Gold | 8-9 am | 1 hr. |
| | Brainstorm- BYUH college bowl academic competition | 6-10 pm | 3 hrs. |
| 1/12/08 | Club presidency training | 8-11 am | 3 hrs. |
| 1/14/08 | Pre-med club presidency meeting | 5:30-6:30 pm | 1 hr. |
| 1/15/08 | Pre-med club booth set up | 9- 11:30 pm | 2 ½ hrs. |
| 1/16/08 | Pre-med club booth (Club sign ups) | 12-1 pm | 1 hr. |
| 1/17/08 | Pre-med club booth (Club sign ups) | 10-12 noon | 2 hrs. |
| 1/18/08 | Pre-med club booth (Club sign ups) | 12-2 pm | 2 hrs. |
| 1/26/08 | MCAT student prep session | 2-3 pm | 1 hr. |
| 1/29/08 | Donated blood | 2:45-3:15 pm | ½ hr |
| 2/17/08 | Pre-med club presidency meeting | 2-3:30 pm | 1 ½ hrs |
| 2/22/08 | Babysat for Hung family | 1- 2 pm | 1 hr |
| 2/16/08 | BYUH Food-fest- Sanitation booth | 5-9:30 pm | 4 ½ hrs |
| 3/15/08 | TVA Farm- helped build shelter | 8-10 pm | |
| | Blood Donation sign-ups- Pre-med club | 12-2 pm | 2 hrs. |
| | Blood Donation sign-ups- Pre-med club | 1-3 pm | 2 hrs |
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